1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-50381 discloses a connector with a housing for accommodating terminals inserted from behind. Locking lances in the housing lock the terminals and a retainer is inserted through a retainer insertion hole in a side surface of the housing for redundantly locking the terminals. Forces exerted on an operating portion at the front end of the retainer can displace the retainer between a partial locking position where the terminals can be inserted and withdrawn and a full locking position where the terminals are locked together with the locking lances. The retainer is held at the partial locking position or the full locking position by locking a resiliently displaceable lock on a back side of the retainer in the inserting direction to a locked portion in the housing.
If differently dimensioned terminals are accommodated in a mixed manner in the housing and all the terminals are locked by the retainer, positions where the terminals are locked by the locking lances are not aligned in a front-back direction. Further, locking lances for locking the large terminals are larger than locking lances for locking smaller terminals. Thus, positions where the large locking lances are provided overlap a passage path for the retainer and the large locking lances cannot be provided in the housing.
Thought has been given to assembling the large locking lances with the housing and preventing interference with the retainer by cutting the retainer to provide an escaping portion and fitting the large locking lances in the escaping portion after the insertion of the retainer. However, an escaping portion between the lock and the operating portion reduces rigidity between the lock and a force from the operating portion is not transmitted sufficiently to the lock. Therefore, correctly displacing the retainer between the partial locking position and the full locking position may be impossible.
The invention was completed based on the above situation and aims to correctly displace a retainer between a partial locking position and a full locking position while enabling terminals of different sizes to be locked by locking lances and the retainer.